Although there has always been a cloud of suspicion around workplace romances, the odds for those relationships are not too bad. According to an annual survey released by CareerBuilder, about one-third of office romances end in marriage.
The survey found that 37 percent of them have had a relationship with a co-worker.
Of those who’ve had an office romance, almost 23 percent (26 percent of women and 20 percent of men) reported dating someone in a higher position.
Whether dating is even allowed among co-workers is an open question for many people. Nearly half (45 percent) of those polled didn’t know if their company had a dating policy. Their spouses probably do have a dating policy, however, and the study found that 17 percent of people involved in an office romance were married to someone else. That certainly helps explain why many people involved with colleagues try to keep their relationships quiet. According to the survey, 33 percent said their romance is a secret.
The largest share of those in office relationships — 12 percent — said they got started when working late on the job. Others were launched by a happy hour after work or by a chance meeting during off-hours — each of which accounted for the start of 10 percent of relationships.
But in spite of all the wedding bells, these trysts sometimes end poorly. Five percent of people who were in a relationship at work said they changed jobs after a breakup.
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll among 3,252 private sector employees ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed) between Nov. 4 and Dec. 1, 2015.
Check out some more details of the study on CareerBuilder’s site.
Anyone willing to own up to an office romance? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Add a Comment
Our Policy: We welcome relevant and respectful comments in order to foster healthy and informative discussions. All other comments may be removed. Comments with links are automatically held for moderation.